Well, that was unexpected. Monday’s game was supposed to be more of a welcome-to-the-Hornets party for new acquisition Jarrett Jack, but an actual basketball game ended up taking place between the 11-1 Hornets and the 1-13 Clippers. That’s surprising enough; the stunning thing is that the Clippers actually ended up winning the game.

The Hornets went on an early run by forcing some turnovers and making some early jumpers. Blake Griffin was largely ineffective against the Hornets’ stifling paint defense in New Orleans; in Los Angeles, Griffin got himself going by making his first three mid-range jumpers and getting the crowd into the game with a huge transition dunk. Griffin didn’t have any other dunks in the game, but ended up with 24/13/4 by playing tough in the low post, staying patient offensively, and crashing the boards with abandon. Al-Faroq Aminu had a big first half as well, hitting some threes and getting out in transition early — all of his 16 points came in the first half.

After the Clippers went into the halftime break down only two points, everybody in Staples Center waited in fear of a massive New Orleans run that never came. Chris Paul looked oddly passive offensively, and looked to dump the ball to David West (who ended up with 30 points) when the Clippers switched rather than try to attack himself. Paul was mostly quiet after making some early jumpers, and finished with only 14 points and 6 assists.

The fourth quarter was about as ugly as it gets, but the Clippers held on thanks to some huge plays from Brian Cook (yes, that Brian Cook), some very gritty defense to force New Orleans turnovers, and some huge offensive rebounds — the Clippers had five offensive boards in the fourth quarter alone, and the two biggest plays of the game were a Blake Griffin put-back of his own miss to cut the New Orleans lead and a Ryan Gomes tip-in that gave the Clippers a lead they would end up holding for the rest of the game. It looked like the Clippers were in danger of giving the game away with some stupid turnovers and absolutely putrid free throw shooting (the Clippers shot 50.7% from the field and 17-34 from the line, incredibly), but they ultimately hung onto the game by simply outworking the heavily favored Hornets.

After the game, Chris Paul was disappointed with his team’s effort, especially on the defensive end:

“Defensively, we’ve been engaged for the most part. But these past three or four games, we’ve just been winning — we’ve just been getting by. They say winning cures all. But, hopefully with this loss we’ll get back to paying attention to what we’ve got to do as a unit defensively.”

For the Clippers, the win was a much-needed shot in the arm after some very tough losses in close games. When asked about how the Clippers were finally able to close out a win, Eric Gordon put it simply:

“Well, it was just time for us to grow up a little bit. We had a couple mistakes in this game, and the difference is that we didn’t relax, we just kept on going and fighting hard and the game came to us.”

The Clippers only have two wins this year, but they’ve come against two probable playoff contenders in the Hornets and the Oklahoma City Thunder. After the game, Blake Griffin was happy about the way the Clippers have been able to stun some top teams this year, but he’d like the team to be a little more consistent:

“It’s good [to beat Oklahoma City and New Orleans]. It gives us confidence, but at the same time we have to win the games in between as well. Like I said, it’s good to beat a team with a good record, but it would also be better to beat the teams with the okay records.”

Whether or not the Clippers can find that consistency while continuing to battle injuries remains to be seen. But on this night, the Clippers showed that they can beat any team in this league if they play the way they’re capable of playing and the planets align.

You probably answered “the Clippers.” Most fans do. So do most NBA referees — And everyone else. Which is why after a recent loss to Golden State, veteran Marreese Speight (a Warrior last season) pointed to the Clippers complaining about the officiating as part of the problem.

He went on to say that the scouting report is you can get in the Clippers’ heads by knocking them around a little. Which seems pretty obvious when you watch teams play them. Shockingly, Clippers coach Doc Rivers disagrees with that. Via NBCLosAngeles.com.

“The officiating thing, I don’t think, is our issue. I will say that,” said Rivers about the technical fouls. “If that were the problem, then, Golden State would be struggling. They’ve been No. 2 the last two years in techs, too. I think we need to point fingers in another direction than that.”

Doc may not like it, but Speights is right.

The Warriors do complain too much, but they also have a ring so more is forgiven. The problem for the Clippers is that reputation for complaining starts with Rivers — he complains as much or more than any coach in the league. Then it filters down through Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

Is it fair that more is forgiven with winning? Moot question. Welcome to America. The Clippers complain a lot and have yet to get past the second round with this core. And at times there standing there complaining to the referees does get in the way of them getting back into defense, and they seem to go in a funk.

The Pelicans are disappointing this season — it is Anthony Davis vs. the world down there. Which is the main reason they are 7-16 this season. While things have gotten better since Jrue Holiday‘s return, Davis is averaging a league-best 31.4 points per game, it then drops off to Holiday at 15.4, and then E'Twaun Moore at 11.1.

When a team struggles, usually that is a bad sign for the coach. Not because it’s always their fault, but because GMs choose not to fire themselves for poor roster construction. Which leads to the question: Alvin Gentry, are you concerned about your job? (Warning, NSFW)

New Orleans’ struggles are not on Gentry, certainly not completely. He’d like a roster that can play uptempo, that has depth. What he got instead was a good point guard, an elite 4/5, a rookie in Buddy Hield that maybe pans out down the line, and then… nada. And the roster Gentry has often is banged up.

If anyone is in trouble, it is GM Dell Demps. Remember, Danny Ferry was hired last summer for the vague role of “special advisor.” Gentry is in his second year, and the issue is the roster he was given. But the Pelicans are a patient organization that values continuity, so… who knows. But the clock is ticking on Davis;, it’s years away, but the Pelicans need to build a team around him and are far from that right now.

Jones told the Beacon Journal he will retire after next season, which will be his 15th in the NBA. His ultimate dream is to ride off after three consecutive championships in Cleveland

“I know playing 15 years is a number where I can look back and I can be like, ‘I accomplished something,’ ” Jones said. “Fourteen vs. 15 may not be much, but to be able to say I played 15 years, that’s enough for me to hang ’em up.”

Jones’ contract expires after the season, so the Cavs will have a say in whether he returns. Safe to say if LeBron wants him back, Jones will be back.

But the Heat got into trouble relying on washed-up veterans around LeBron, wasting valuable roster spots on players who could no longer contribute.

Is that Jones? Not yet. Though he’s out of the rotation, he has still made 11-of-12 open 3-pointers this season. There’s a role for him as spot-up shooter when Cleveland needs one.

Still, the Cavaliers ought to be mindful of Jones’ likely decline over the next year and a half. Plus, it’s not a certainty he holds to his timeline. Cavs veterans have a history of changing their mindon retirement.